Eggs from the Littles
The chicks are are no longer chicks and they are no longer even pullets! They are hens! At least two, possibly three, have produced wee little eggs.
I knew these chicks grew faster than any of our previous generations, and they hit this milestone faster as well. To the best of my calculations, the first group of chicks we raised took 158-169 days to lay their first egg. The second group of chicks took 137-141 days, and the third took 144-150 days.
The new Olive Eggers, aka "The Littles", are at 131-138 days!
I found the first egg on August 18, wedged in the corner of the nest box in their coop, just where it should be.
The egg was a nice olive color, with a thick shell, and inside there were two tiny yolks! It is not unusual to get double yolks for the first eggs of the season. I was pleased at how perfectly formed it was, just sized down a little. For comparison against one of our larger eggs:
That morning, I did not notice the egg right away. While cleaning, I had pulled out the roosting area shelf out for better access. One Little flew up through the opening created between the run and the shelf. I picked her up and put her back into the run through the side door. I think she was going back to her egg. I pushed the shelf back to close off access and brought the egg into the house.
Once I had finished cleaning, adding fresh pine shavings, and securing the coop panels, I opened the door to the coop. Immediately a Little walked up the ramp and into the coop. I opened the nest box panel and peeked in at her. She was in the nest box, probably looking for her egg!
On August 23, I found another egg in the nest box. This one was darker olive and more speckled, so I think it is an egg from a different Little. It is also nicely shaped and just a bit smaller than the Big Lady eggs I collected the same day.
On August 25, yet another egg! This one unfortunately was in the run, laying on the ground near the waterer. It looked exactly like a small light brown potato. The egg was well formed with a normal shell.
The Littles all look so healthy and ready to lay. They have fat, bright red combs and wattles. Their feathers are gorgeous; the patterns on their necks are especially beautiful. Even though their big combs have smooshed back their crests, the crest feathers are still cute.
The Littles sound just like the Big Ladies when they see me in the morning. They make their complaining clucks, asking me to hurry up and move them to a better spot, because each day now they are completely flattening and scratching up the ground in their run. They are very good eaters. They enthusiastically go after the crickets which seem to be everywhere in the grass right now.
Comments